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The Concept of Dao in Religious Daolism

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The Concept of Dao in Religious Daolism Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 90 3rd Annual International Conference on Social Science and Contemporary Humanity Development (SSCHD 2017) A Study of the Daoism’s Concept of Dao Qing MING Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, Yunnan, China [email protected] Keywords: Dao, Philosophical Daoism, Religious Daoism, Shen (spirit-energy), Qi (life-energy). Abstract: A key concept of Chinese traditional culture is Dao, which incorporates, in some form and to some degree, all Chinese philosophical Daoism, religious Daoism, philosophy of the Book of Changes and Neo-confucianist major ideas. One who wants to study Chinese traditional philosophy and religion deeply, he must first understand the concept of Dao. Therefore, this paper will take the study of the concept of Dao in classical philosophical Daoism and religious Daoism as its objects of research, and the study will be conducted from two aspects: 1) the philosophical Daoism and religious Daoist texts regarding the concept of Dao; 2) the meaning of Dao. Introduction In the history of Chinese civilization, Daoism is often referred to philosophical Daoism and religious Daoism. They have become an inseparable part of the indigenous of Culture of China. The foundation of both Philosophical Daoism and religious Daoism is the concept of Dao, which is often translated into English as “Way.” A number of Chinese classical texts address the theory of Dao. According to hermeneutical research methods, a comprehensive survey of the concept of Dao should begin with the philosophical and religious Daoist texts. The Classical Texts Regarding the Concept of Dao Philosophical Daoism is often referred to as the “Teachings of the Yellow Emperor and Laozi” (huanglao xue) or of “Laozi and Zhuangzi” (laozhuang). Descriptions of the Yellow Emperor in Si Maqian’s (145BCE-?) Records of History (shiji), Zhuangzi, A Series of Sage Biographies (liexian zhuan) and The Mountain and Sea Classic (Shanhai jing) show that the Yellow Emperor was a purely legendary figure. Laozi and Zhuangzi, on the other hand, seem to have been actual historical persons. According to the chapter “The Biographies of Laozi and Hanfei” (Laozi Hanfei lie zhuan) of Records of History, The Daodejing, a text of only slightly more than 5,000 Chinese characters, attributed to Laozi (sixth century BCE), the founder of Philosophical Daoism. According to Records of History, A History of the Hua Dynasty (hanshu) and the Commentary on the Water Classic (shuijing zhu), the second great figure of early Philosophical Daoism is the philosopher Zhuangzi, whose work is Zhuangzi. The most basic philosophy of both Philosophical Daoism and religious Daoism is the concept of Dao (the Way). The following is a list of major philosophical Daoism and religious Daoism’s scholars before the Northern Song dynasty, with their work that relate to the concept of Dao. Copyright © 2017, the Authors. Published by Atlantis Press. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). 77 Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 90 Author/Date Title Subject Matter King Wen King Wen used yin and yang lines to interpret “the (1152-1056B The Book of Changes essence of nature,” which was understood by later CE) scholars such as Zhu Xi as concept of dao (Way). Confucius Xici (Great In the Xici commentary on The Book of Changes, (551-479BCE Commentary of The Confucius interpreted the Dao as the Supreme ) Book of Changes) Ultimate and interpreted the Dao (Way) of change (yi) as the “alternation and exchange of yin and yang.”[1] Laozi believed that “the Tao (Dao) [Way] that can be told of is not the eternal Tao (Dao); the name that Laozi Daodejing can be named is not the eternal name. Nameless, it is (600-470BCE (The Classic of Ethics) the origin of Heaven and Earth; namable, it is the ) mother of all things.” [2] According to Laozi, the Dao is the whole of nature and the universe; it also envelops nature and produces nature. In Zhuangzi, the philosophy of Dao comes close to a philosophy of qi but not mind or the Supreme Zhuangzi Zhuangzi Ultimate, an important characteristic of Zhuangzi’s (369-286) (The Classic of thought was not the interpretation of the Dao as Zhuangzi) being in the human mind, but as the way of change of qi (life-energy), or as shen (spirit-energy). Author The Classic of Great Discusses the social political order of “great peace,” unknown, Peace (Taipingjing) and the manifestation of all things in accordance (25-220) with Laozi’s notion of “Dao gave birth to One; One gave birth to Two; Two gave birth to Three; Three gave birth to all the myriad things.” [3] Wei Boyang The Compatible Discusses tracing the vital force of sentient beings’ (100-170) Cultivation of the Book back to its origin; the primal qi (yuanqi) of the of Changes (Zhouyi undifferentiated oneness; Inner and outer alchemy; cantongqi) uses of The Book of Changes in individual spiritual cultivation. [4] Ge Hong The Texts of Baopuzi Medicine; describes celestial beings (281-341) (Baopuzi), Record of Immortal (Shenxian zhuan) Baoling Taishang dongxuan Daoist precepts School lingbao sanyuan pinjie (approx.300-4 gongde qingzhong jing 00) Kou Qian Texts of Daoist Daoist precepts; monastic management. (365-448) precepts (Laojun yinsong jiejing) Lu Xiujing The Guiding Principle monastic precepts and pure rules; edited Daoist (406-477 of the Dao (Daomen scriptures. kelue) Tao The Path of Attain Hongjing Enlightenment Daoist precepts; medicine; health; inner and outer (456-536) (Dengzhen yinjue), alchemy; individual spiritual. cultivation;[5] Hedan yaozhufa describes celestial being[6]. Sun Simiao Qianjin Medicine Medicine; health; inner alchemy; meditation. (581-682) Prescription (Qianjin yaofang), The Verse of Life-energy and 78 Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 90 Spirit-energy Training (Yangshen lianqi ming), Combination of Three Religions (Hesanjiao lun ) Cheng Commentary on Daode Commentaries on Daodejing, Zhuangzi and Xuanying jing (Laozi Durenjing. (approx. 635) Daodejingzhu ) Sima Treatise on Sitting on Treatise on Sitting on No-thought (Zuowamg lun) Chengzhen No-thought (Zuowamg and Self-cultivation and Life-energy Training (655-735) lun), (Xiushen yangqi jue) are the most important Daoist Self-cultivation and scriptures. Treatise on Sitting on No-thought Life-energy Training (Zuowamg lun) introduces Buddhist meditation such (Xiushen yangqi jue) as “cessation” (zhi) and “contemplation (guan)” of the Tiantai School Traces sentient beings’ vital force back to its origin; primal qi (yuanqi) of the undifferentiated oneness.[7] Zhang Wanfu The Meaning and Daoist precepts; pure rules; medicine. (approx.300-4 Pronunciation of 00) Daoist Texts (Yiqie Daojing yinyi ) Peng Xiao Pure the Compatible Inner alchemy. (?-955) Cultivation of the Book of Changes (Zhouyi Cantongqi fenzhang tongzhen yi ) Chen Tuan (The Texts of Philosophy of The Book of Changes; philosophy of (?-989) Metaphysics) Laozi and Zhuangzi; Inner alchemy; the value of Zhixuanpian, The Chen Tuan’s thought is the interaction among Book of Inner Buddhism, Confucianism, The Book of Changes and alchemy(Rushi Daoism.[8] huandan shi) Zhang The Book of True Zhang Bozhuan indicated that the three religions - Boduan Nature of Things Buddhism, Confucianism and Daoism - were the (987-1082) (Wuzhenpian) same religion; He introduces Buddhist concepts such as prajñāpāramitā and sunyatā into Wuzhenpian to develop Daoism. Table 1 The Concept of Dao before the Northern Song Dynasty In spite of the fact that a number of great philosophical Daoism and religious Daoist philosophers appeared, and their contribution to Daoism included political “great peace” (taiping), “inner alchemy” (neidan), “outer alchemy” (waidan), medicine, health, or introducing Buddhist concepts of prajñāpāramitā and sunyatā to develop Daoism etc., yet, the philosophical ontological developments did not take a step beyond The Book of Changes, Yizhuan (Commentary on The Book of Changes), Daodejing and Zhuangzi in their philosophy of Dao as we have discussed above. The Meaning of Dao It will be helpful to summarize both the Philosophical Daoist and religious Daoist concepts of Dao as described by Chung-ying Cheng as follows: Dao is the whole of nature and the universe.[9] Dao is the origin and the source of the process of change and the creation of things; it gave birth to all things.[10] The mysterious concept of Dao is the centerpiece of Daoist thought and living. Dao represents the ultimate first principle. It has a mysterious quality which cannot be known through any concept.[11] 79 Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 90 All things returning to their root, Dao, “means tranquility, it is called returning to” their destiny. The “return to” their “destiny is called the eternal” Dao.[12] This characterization suggests that “the Dao has both ontological and cosmological qualities, and that these qualities interpenetrate each other.”[13] Although Daoism indicates an ontocosmology of Dao, which is revealed most fully through tranquility and tranquility has an obvious relationship with meditation, the Way leads to meditation and is a return to the true nature of things.[14] However, in the philosophy of Daoism, the Dao was never defined as “mind,” that is, the universe in its entirety is not regarded by Daoists as consisting of a single absolute mind. In addition, according to Chung-ying Cheng, before
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